Many of us immediately recognize the talented cast of [title of show] from other productions around the city—Neala Barron, Matt Freye, Yando Lopez, and Anna Schutz. We know they are really good and this shines a spotlight on the script. How will these actors bring the playwright’s words and songs to life?

They can only do so much, as it turns out.

The conceit of [title of show] is that it tells the story of how a musical is made as it is made. The creators don’t have an artistic vision other than a desire for fame and getting out of a life of temping jobs. Perhaps the best thing about this deconstructed reality script is that it feeds you a critique of its inherent limitations. To paraphrase one line, “It’s like eating donuts for dinner. It sounds good but thirty minutes into it you realize it wasn’t such a great idea…”

It didn’t take that long, actually.

It’s difficult to know who is the audience for this show. The Brown Paper Box Co. obviously thought that this “self-referential” script had something going for it. It was nominated for a Best Book Tony Award in 2009, a somewhat mystifying factoid to this reviewer. It may speak to the many creative types laboring in low-pay work in order to feed their muse. Maybe..